So We Meet Again?
by Fearless.Love.Life
Summary: After Derek moves out, Casey doesn't think that she'll ever see him again. But when they meet in a Media Arts class, at college, will they ever be able to put the past behind them? Eventual Dasey. Please read and review!
1. So We Meet Again?

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Life With Derek. Although it would be absolutely amazing if I did. **

**Please read and review!**

Life was so easy before the dreaded move into an insta-family of seven. Now, Derek needs a reason to be closer to his step-sister. He never thought the day would come.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The warning bell was fast approaching, and Casey needed to run in order to get the first Media Arts class of the semester. This class was a filler class for her, as English Literature was full for the semester. Filming was not her specialty, writing was. But she might as well get a credit out of the way instead of waiting three months for next semester, right?

Casey ran into the large classroom just as the bell rang, and she sighed in relief. She looked around the crowded classroom, and saw that there was one vacant seat. Unfortunately, this seat was right next to Derek Venturi.

_Maybe I'll just stand._ She thought, frowning. She looked around the room one last time, searching for some other seat that she had missed before. There was nothing, and no one seemed too inclined to move over for her. Casey glanced at the seat next to her step-brother, which was still empty. He didn't seem to be saving it for anyone. Derek had his iPod on, and hadn't seemed to notice her coming over to where he was sitting.

'Do you mind if I sit here?' she asked, politely. She hadn't seen him for three years, ever since he had moved out of the McDonald/Venturi residence after a big fight between him and George.

He looked up from his glowing iPod screen, and stared at her in surprise.

'Casey! Wh-what are you doing in this class?' he sputtered nervously. He hadn't expected to see her.

'I'm taking this class.' She informed him. 'Until English Literature has space in the classes. There's something like two hundred people in the class or some other crazy number of people.'

Derek nodded, while putting his iPod into his bag. 'So what have you been doing for the last three years?'

'You, know. School, work, trying to pay the rent. I changed my major.'

'Really? To what?' he asked, looking interested.

'Writing.' She said, proudly. 'I realized that I wasn't cut out to be a doctor.'

'You were always a good writer.' Derek said, before realizing what he had said.

'Thanks. That means a lot.' Casey said, blushing slightly.

'Want to sit down?' Derek asked, gesturing to the seat next to him.

'Thanks.' She said happily, as she took up the empty space.

Right then, the professor walked into the classroom. He looked very official, sporting a navy blue sports jacket and a button-down shirt. He had glasses and graying hair. Casey looked down at her jeans and gray t-shirt, and wondered if she was supposed to dress up a bit more. She noticed a couple of students looking down at their wardrobe and wondering the same thing. She would have to ask former students about the dress code around this guy.

'Good morning students. This semester we will embark on a journey behind the eye of the camera lens. You will learn how to capture the beauty of everyday life, everyday people, and everyday surroundings.'

Derek and Casey smirked at each other, listening to how absolutely ridiculous this all sounded to the students.

'For each student that brought a video camera, congratulations on being so well-prepared. People _sans_ camera, I have some that you can borrow for the term. I realize that I didn't send out a list of things you needed, but all you need it a camera and creativity.'

Casey felt slightly guilty. She didn't own a video camera, she had never needed one. Derek was always the one filming things, she was always writing them down. It was just the way she was.

'For your first assignment, you will choose partners.'

Casey couldn't believe the speed of this class. They were ten minutes into their first lesson, and they were already being assigned projects. She looked over at Derek, and he looked back, nodding. Now they were partners. This eliminated any awkward conversations with people that she didn't know, which was always the toughest part of any class.

The teacher left a minute or so to talk to the new partners of the class.

'So, you're still into filming stuff?' Casey asked, casting a look over to the camera bag that was on the desk in front of Derek.

'Yeah. That's what I want to major in. Filming.' He said, nodding.

'That's so cool! As you can probably already tell, I know nothing about filming. You're now officially my mentor, in case you didn't already know.' Casey said, joking.

'Great.' He said, grimacing. He was really glad to be talking to Casey again. Derek hadn't thought that he would be seeing any of the McDonald family for a long time, if ever. He hadn't called anyone over the three years of his absence, and neither had anyone else. He hadn't thought that anyone would want to talk to him.

'For this assignment, you will be documenting the lives of your partners. In turn, your partner will do the same thing. In a month, you will show your edited movie of your partner to the class. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.' The professor said, breaking Derek's train of thought.

'So, when do you want to start documenting my life?' Casey asked, looking over at him. _This project doesn't sound too bad. It'll be a chance to get to know Derek again. _She thought, smiling at this thought. Back when they had both lived with their parents and siblings, they had fought almost everyday. Although right before he had left, they had actually been getting along, which was rare. They both had enjoyed getting on each other's nerves.

'Um, anytime. Besides school, I don't have a life.' Derek joked. Both of them knew that that statement was completely untrue. He had hockey, parties, dates with random girls, and his current passion behind the camera.

'How about dinner tonight?' Casey asked.

'I-uh-sure.' Derek said, caught off guard.

'How about the diner on the other side of campus?' she asked, throwing out ideas.

'Sounds perfect.'

'Class is over for today. See you all on Wednesday.' The professor said, dismissing the class.

Casey gathered up her bag, turned to face Derek. 'See you tonight.'

She walked out of the door, and he watched her go. Something felt right about dinner tonight. He sighed in relief as he gathered up his things.

He waved after her, and walked out of the classroom


	2. Chain Reaction

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing! **

**Remember, keep reviewing. It's simple enough. There's a really, really nice purple button on the bottom of the page. Keep that in mind.**

Life was so easy before the dreaded move into an insta-family of seven. Now, Derek needs a reason to be closer to his step-sister. He never thought the day would come.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

'You met who?' Emily yelled, from the other room.

Casey had run home to the apartment that her and her best friend, Emily shared. Since the beginning of freshman year at college, they had lived in a little apartment, a ten minute walk from campus. They both had part-time jobs to support themselves and to pay the increasing rent.

'Derek. I saw him at my media arts class, and we arranged to meet for dinner.' Casey said, walking into Emily's bedroom.

'I thought that you hated Derek.' Emily said, fixing her hair. She had a date tonight with someone named Sam. Casey doubted that it was the same Sam that Derek had been best friends with. Since Casey had met Emily after Derek had moved out, she had never had a chance to meet the infamous Derek, nor Sam. And Casey hadn't seen Sam for three years now, she wasn't even sure if he went to the same school.

'I didn't hate him.' Casey said, sighing. 'He just got on my nerves, that's all.'

Emily didn't buy this, but didn't say anything more.

'So when are you going to meet him?'

'Around seven. I said I'd meet him at the diner.' Casey responded.

'It's six fifteen. You should start getting ready.' Emily said, as she started with her make-up.

'I'm not getting dressed up or anything, it's not a date.' Casey informed her. 'Although I might wear that new shirt I that I got last week.'

She walked out of the room, and into her own. When living with Derek, she had always said that she had hated his music, but had gotten into it right after he moved out. Now, her walls were plastered with posters of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Hedley. No one would have ever thought that she would like that kind of music, but now, it was all she listened to.

She sat in the middle of the rug, and stared off into space. Maybe this was actually a date, what if he dressed up and she didn't. What if he expected more than a cheap dinner? What if he didn't even bring his precious video camera? Crap.

She got up, looked through her closet, and started pulling out options. Not too casual, not too dressy. Jeans, definitely. Black shirt, too much like a funeral. Yellow, too much like a bumblebee. Finally, she decided on a royal blue shirt, which set of her eyes, a pair of dark wash jeans, and knee-high boots. _There, not too bad. _She thought, as she gathered up her rental camera and her purse.

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'You met Casey?' Sam asked, looking up from the TV set in their apartment.

'Yeah. In my Media Arts class. She was just there.' Derek nodded, as if he couldn't believe it himself.

'So you're going out with your step-sister?' he asked, looking surprised.

'Well, technically not. My dad has probably disowned me, by now.' He said, looking at the ground. This piece of information still irked him.

'If you want to get all serious on me.' Sam joked, seeing his friend in discomfort. He got off of the couch, and turned off the TV.

Changing the subject, Derek said, 'So you have a hot date tonight?'

'I met her in the cafeteria yesterday. Actually, I kind of sent her flying.' He said sheepishly, obviously having flashbacks about lunch.

'So you knock her over, and then ask her out. Very impressive, Sam. I didn't know you had it in you.' Derek said, raising his eyebrows.

'I am a man of many surprises.' Sam said, digging through the pile of clean laundry. Once he found what he was looking for, he disappeared into his room, leaving Derek all alone in the living room.

Derek had been room-mates with Sam for three years, since the day he had moved out. He had come looking for a place to stay, and Sam invited him over. When they had heard of the lease of this house, they had both jumped on it. They both had part-time jobs to pay for the rent of their beloved house.

Derek looked at the clock. Six nineteen. Damn. Forty-four minutes until he was supposed to meet Casey at the diner. He was actually looking forward to it. If it was any other member of the family, he would have been nervous, but seeing Casey seemed to calm him. He wandered over to his bedroom, where clothes littered the floor. Taking after Casey's examples, he actually cleaned up his room once in a while. He picked up his belongings and replaced them where they actually belonged.

This took sixteen minutes, only twenty-eight minutes to go. Derek paced his room for a minute, until he decided to get dressed. This wasn't a date, right? So he didn't need to get dressed up. They hadn't confirmed this, so he was in the dark about the details. He decided on a black t-shirt, a pair of nice jeans, and his signature leather jacket. He even combed his hair.

He looked at the clock once more, which read six forty-four. He decided that he should be going, if he didn't want to be late.

Derek walked over to his desk, picked up his beloved video camera, and opened the door.

_Off I go_, he thought, _to see her again._

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'I'm going to be late, don't wait up for me!' Emily hollered over her shoulder, as she went to meet Sam, who had just called her on the intercom machine.

'Have fun!' Casey called, before looking in the mirror one last time before she left. It was six forty seven, and she was running a bit late. It would take ten minutes to get to campus, and at least five more minutes to get to the diner.

She ran around the apartment, finding everything she needed. When she was satisfied, she ran out the door, slamming it behind her.

As Casey walked over to the diner, she realized what a nice night it was. The moon was starting to shine, even though it was early. It wasn't too cold, but there was a nice crispness in the air. She continued walking, slightly faster than necessary, but she wanted to get there to meet Derek. She still couldn't believe that she had been talking to him earlier. She was almost sure that she wouldn't be seeing him again, after the fight with George. She wasn't even sure what the fight was about. She had never actually bothered to ask.

Finally, Casey got to the diner. She looked in the window, and she saw Derek, sitting down at one of the tables, looking at something on his camera. She smiled, she hadn't seen this sight in almost three years.

She took a deep breath, opened the door to the diner, and walked in.


	3. Dinner With History

**Disclaimer: ****I won't even explain it to you. **

**Just to clear things up, Casey met Emily right after Derek moved out of the house, so Emily had never met Derek or Sam. **

Life was so easy before the dreaded move into an insta-family of seven. Now, Derek needs a reason to be closer to his step-sister. He never thought the day would come.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Casey took a deep breath, opened the door to the diner, and walked in, and over to where Derek was sitting. He looked up from his camera.

'Hey. I'm really sorry I'm late.' Casey said, hoping he would understand.

He looked at the big red clock on the wall of the diner. Two minutes after seven. 'You're not late. I was just early.'

'You were early?' Casey said, not believing what she had just heard. When they had lived together, Derek was always late.

'I've learned from the best.' He said, grinning. 'Sit down.'

'Thanks. Have you ordered yet?' she said, looking down at the big laminated menu that was in front of her.

'Nah. I was waiting for you.' He explained, almost looking embarrassed.

'You waited? You really _have_ changed, Derek.' She said, as a compliment.

'I'm a man of many surprises. Just you wait.' Derek smirked.

Just then, the waitress, with the name 'Judy' stitched to her uniform, came over to where they were sitting. She smiled down at them as she pulled out a notebook, and said, 'Are you ready to order yet?'

Derek, not wanting to miss out on any food said, 'I'll have a cheeseburger with a root beer. With fries. And no onions.' He added, as an afterthought.

She scribbled that down, and turned to Casey. 'And you, dear?'

'Um, actually, I'll have the same as him.' She said, as she folded her menu and handed it to the waitress.

As the waitress walked away, Casey remarked, 'I thought you loved onions.'

'I do.' He shrugged. 'The doctor says I should lay off the onions for a while.'

'Oh.' Casey said, not fully comprehending why he had gone to the doctor's office in the first place.

'So, for our project, I was thinking we could do like 'A Day in the Life' or something. Pick one day where I follow you around with a camera, and another day where you follow me.' Derek said, sounding excited.

'Wow. That sounds really good. Are you sure you thought of it yourself?' Casey teased, although the idea was sounding really good.

'Ha ha. But we could have some random footage, and some interview stuff. And maybe some candid shots. This will be really cool. If you like it, and all.' Derek said, thinking of all the possibilities.

'And we could do music in the background, and some neat borders and stuff.' Casey added in.

Just then, their food came. Casey thought it smelled delicious, as she had forgotten to eat lunch. She had only been to this diner once, with Emily. They were only in there long enough to grab a cup of coffee.

Derek reached across the table, grabbed hold of a bottle, and proceeded to douse his French fries with ketchup. He handed the bottle to Casey, who squeezed a respectable amount of ketchup on the side of her plate.

They ate in silence for a while, until Derek spoke. 'So where are you living now?'

'About ten minutes from campus. 19 Lark Street. You know it?'

'Yeah, actually. My friend was going there earlier to pick up his date. You know someone named Emily?' Derek said pleased that he knew where she was talking about.

'Emily? She's my room-mate. So the Sam that's picking her up is your Sam?' she asked, surprised at the possibility.

'Well, I wouldn't go as far as to call him 'My Sam' but yeah. The one and only.' Derek joked.

'That is so weird. I was just thinking that it would be a total coincidence if Sam was actually Sam.' she said, grinning. 'If that makes any sense at all.'

'No, that makes total sense.' Derek said, smiling.

They continued eating, until Derek reached over and swiped a fry from Casey's plate.

'Excuse me? My fry.' Casey said, looking up from her food.

'Just seeing if yours tasted any better than mine.' Derek said, shrugging, as he continued chewing his stolen fry.

'And does it?'

He nodded vigorously, 'Delicious.'

'That's 'cause it's mine.' she smirked.

'So how long have you been at U of T?' Casey asked, after realizing that she didn't know the answer.

'Two years. Same as you.' Derek replied, taking the last bite of his hamburger.

'Then how come I haven't seen you before?' Casey had been wondering this since their encounter that morning.

He shrugged. 'I don't know. Different sides of campus? This is the first Media Arts to be held on the east side of campus.'

She nodded. 'That makes sense.'

Suddenly, Judy appeared out of nowhere. 'Do you want anything else?'

Derek looked at Casey, who shook her head. 'We'll just have the bill, please.'

She disappeared, only to come back a minute with the bill in one hand and a handful of breath mints in the other.

Derek took a mint, opened the wrapper and popped it into his mouth. He looked down at the bill, and started to open his wallet. He put down a twenty dollar bill.

'Please. Let me.' Casey insisted, pulling out her own wallet.

Derek looked at Casey and said, 'Really. I'll do it.'

'I'll arm wrestle ya for it.' Casey said, with a gleam in her eye. This had been the usual tie-breaker for them when they had lived with their parents. Whether it was to see who got the last chocolate-covered granola bar, or who got possession of the TV remote, or to see who had to turn down their blaring music.

Derek grinned, and held out his arm. Casey slipped her hand into his, and their battle had begun. Casey bent her wrist over his, to give her an advantage. Usually, this was the way to win any arm wrestling match, but Derek was strong. When their wrists were only a couple inches off of the Formica table, Derek suddenly got stronger, and slowly made his way to the other side. When Casey's wrist finally touched down on the table, Derek pumped his fists in the air, in a victory celebration.

'Thank you, thank you very much. I know, I'm the greatest, no need to tell me' Derek gloated, while pretending to talk to an invisible audience.

'Well, I just saved myself ten bucks.' Casey said, rubbing her wrist with one hand, while replacing her bill back into her wallet with the other.

'Come on, I'll walk you home.' Derek said, standing up.

'Don't worry about it. I live on the other side of campus.' Casey insisted, following suit and standing up.

'Well, I have to see Emily. You know, to see if she is everything _and_ more. Just like Sam described her.' Derek said.

'I knew there was a reason.' Casey said, slipping on her sweater. Even though this was September, there was a slight crisp in the air, and a light breeze.

They walked out of the diner, and made their way over to Casey's apartment. They chatted about various things, such as different courses, professors, and the astronomical rent prices on living near campus.

_It's like he's a totally different guy. _Casey thought. _I like it._

As they rounded the corner, they saw two figures kissing. The only light was coming from the streetlights, making it almost impossible to make out their faces. Casey and Derek walked closer, and realized who it was.

'Dude?' Derek asked tentatively. It didn't look like the couple was going to come up for air any time soon.

Their friends broke apart from the embrace. They looked absolutely mortified.

'Hi.' Emily said, giggling nervously.

'Fancy meeting you here.' Sam said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

'Not that this image isn't scarring enough, but I'm just gonna go.' Derek said.

'Bye Derek.' Casey smiled. This had been a good night.

He took a step towards her, and they shared a quick hug.

'See you tomorrow?' he asked, looking at Casey.

'Definitely.'

'Sam. I won't even ask how your date went.' He said, shaking his head as he walked off.

Casey looked at Emily and Sam, shook her head, and walked up the stairs to her apartment.

**Okie dokie. So Derek left home at the end of his junior year, so he had one more year of high school. Meaning, this was only his second year at university. In case ya were wondering.**


	4. Class Time

**Disclaimer: I don't even own the DVD. Wait, is LWD even on DVD? If it were, that would be absolutely amazing.**

**Hello y'all. This is just a filler chapter, to ease the rest of the wonderfulness into the story. Or else it wouldn't work. **

'Good morning students. I'm sure you spent last night with your partner, thinking about your projects?' The professor said, smirking slightly. He knew that almost no one had even started.

Casey looked over at Derek, and they grinned. They were among the minority of students that had given their assignments any thought.

'For those who _have_ started, I can't wait to see the finished product. And for those who haven't, the deadline will sneak up on you.' The students looked guilty.

'Does he have a name?' Casey leaned over to Derek, and asked. She realized that he had never introduced himself.

'Ashbridge. Professor Colin Ashbridge. Didn't you read the brochure?' Derek asked, teasing. It was so unlike Casey not to read the brochure, but Derek was sure that she hadn't.

'It was a last-minute thing.' Casey tried to explain.

'This class or not reading the brochure?' Derek said, in mock seriousness.

'You're hilarious.' Casey said, dryly.

'That's what they tell me!' Derek shrugged.

Casey ignored him and turned her attention to Professor Ashbridge.

'Speaking of the deadline, your assignments are now due in three weeks, instead of four.'

Casey panicked, ripped a piece of lined paper from her notebook, scribbled something down, and passed it to Derek.

_Is this bad? –Casey_

_Nah. It'll be fine. –Derek_

_Are you sure? –Case_

_Don't worry. I'll come over sometime and help you download the movie-editor application. –D_

_Really? Thanks Derek. –Case_

_Not a problem. And I wanted to meet Emily. See if she was everything _and_ more. –D_

'Class, I'll leave you to your own devices, while I replenish my coffee cup.' The professor said, holding up his now-empty coffee cup. The second he walked out of the room, everyone began talking.

'So when should I come over?' Derek asked, pulling out his iPod.

'Anytime is good. Tomorrow sound good?' Casey said, thinking of a good time.

'Perfect. I'll be by sometime then.' Derek said, not confirming a time.

'Great. Now, all I need to know is how to turn on the camera.' Casey said, pulling out the camera out of her bag.

'You can't be serious.' Derek muttered, taking the camera from her hands. He turned it over, and found the 'on' button easily.

'I'm not stupid; I'm just not a filming-type person.' Casey insisted, blushing. She was used to being a straight-A student, and helping people. Not having people helping her.

'I never said you were stupid. I was just pointing out that the 'on' button is clearly labeled.' Derek said, teasing her.

'Yeah, maybe I need glasses.' Casey said. This wasn't a possibility. She had gone to the optometrist's office the year earlier. The doctor said she had 20/20 vision.

'That's what they all say. To cover up their...unsmartness.' Derek said, looking confused. 'Is that even a word, unsmartness?'

'Nope.' Casey said, looking smug.

Right then, Professor Ashbridge walked in. 'I'm glad to see you've been working while I was gone. Class is dismissed for today.'

Casey and Derek gathered up their belongings and exited the classroom together.

**Okay, I know this chapter is short, and nothing happens in it, but the transition between the other chapters would have been awkward. And to answer your questions, the fight is coming up soon. Possibly in a flashback. I have it all planned out in my head. Keep reading! **


	5. A Day With The Princess

**Disclaimer: ****I don't even own the DVD. Wait, does LWD even have a DVD. If they did, it would be absolutely amazing.**

**By the way, most of you guessed right about the fight. Enjoy!**

'Rise and shine, Princess!' Derek said, shoving his video camera in Casey's face.

It was eight o'clock in the morning. Emily had let Derek into the apartment before she had left. He had plans to take Casey out, possibly film her, and have a good day. But for now, it was all about annoying the step-sister. She looked really peaceful, with her eyes closed.

'Go to hell, Derek.' Casey murmured, before turning over to her other side, facing the wall.

'That's no way to treat your favourite Derek, is it?' Derek said, musing over previous conversations exactly like this one.

'So you're 'my' Derek now?' Casey asked, her eyes still closed.

'Only if you want me to be, Princess.' Derek said, half-serious, half mocking her.

She sat up straight in her bed, and looked Derek straight in the eye.

'I'm up, are you happy?' she cried, right before hurling a pillow at his face.

'Ouch? Way to hurt me.' Derek said, shaking his head, before exiting the room.

This week was the week where Derek could barge in on her, anytime he wanted, for the purpose of their project. That had been their agreement. Next week, it would be Casey's turn to stalk Derek with _her_ camera.

'I'm taking a shower. Do not come in.' Casey warned him, sticking her head out from her room.

'This is supposed to be a G-rated film Casey. No one _wants_ to see you naked.' Derek said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Casey returned to her room, shaking her head, only to come out a minute later with a big fluffy bath towel in hand.

'Don't have too much fun!' Derek said sarcastically.

Casey glared at him, seeing as this was too early for her. This was Sunday. Normally, this would be the day that she would sleep in until ten, at the earliest. Right now, it was eight fifteen. She would be the first to wake Derek up next week. She would make sure of it.

Derek heard the water being turned on, and Casey stepping into the shower. He smiled, in spite of himself.

He sat down on the couch and looked around. There were pictures everywhere. Some of Casey, some of Emily, and even some of the Venturi family. He recognized almost everybody in the pictures belonging to Casey, until he came across a picture of Casey and some boy. Who the hell was this? Seeing this picture of the two sent a wave of fury down Derek's spine. He remembered the day vividly.

_Derek had walked in the front door, when he was confronted by his father. Derek could smell alcohol on his breath. He calmly hung up his black leather jacket, untied his shoes, and walked into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass or orange juice, and was about to take a sip, when the telephone rang. Derek lunged for the phone, but George was too fast, even in his intoxicating state. _

'_Hello? Yes, this is him.' Derek could almost imagine the whole conversation. George's face was turning various shaded of red, this only happened when he was really mad._

'_I see. Thank you very much.' George hung up, and turned to face his son. _

'_You did what?!' George yelled across the kitchen counter._

'_He was hurting her Dad!' Derek shouted back. He knew this was coming. _

'_She can fight for herself. There is no need to knock out her boyfriend!'_

'_She can't fight for herself, and you know it! I was only trying to protect her.'_

'_I thought you hated her!' George pointed out. He rubbed his forehead; Derek knew he had a headache. This happened a lot when he got drunk._

'_I don't hate her, I lo-.' Derek caught himself just in time._

'_You what?' he roared. This was too much for George to hear._

'_It's nothing.' Derek muttered. Like his father was going to understand._

'_So you hate Casey, but you feel the need to send Max to the hospital?' George asked, with a cold laugh. _

'_I didn't send him to the hospital. He's fine.' Derek insisted. That was true, wasn't it? He had only sent one punch flying, and then he ran. He didn't want to see the aftermath of yet another one of his stupid decisions. _

'_You broke his fucking nose! That's not fine!' George bellowed. Was his punch_ that_ hard?_

_Derek took a deep breath. 'Look. I walked into the movie theater. I was supposed to meet some people there. I saw Max and Casey sitting a few rows away from where we were sitting. The whole movie, I heard Max tell her she was fat, and a whole bunch of other shit. She walked away from him then, but he followed. Then, the movie ended. Casey was in the bathroom or something, when Max came over to me. He told me what a slut she was, and then I punched him.'_

'_That's what happened? You stood up for her?' George said, calmly. He was now sitting down on a bar stool. _

'_Yes. Dad, I love her. As a sister, as something more, I don't know! But when Max was saying those things, I just couldn't help myself.' Derek said, sinking down into the matching bar stool. He cradled his head in his hands as he said this. His father would not understand, he knew this already, but he had to tell someone._

'_You love her? If you love her so much, get out of this fucking house!' George snarled, standing up and pointing to the door._

'_I-I-what?' Derek said, stammering. _

'_You heard me, GET OUT!'_

_Derek ran upstairs and opened his closet. He pulled down a suitcase and started throwing in some of his possessions. He supposed he would have to come back tomorrow for the rest of his stuff. His eyes started to water as he opened the front door, but he didn't cry. Derek Venturi never cried. This would not be the time to start._

'_Bye dad.' He shook his head sadly, as he walked away from the house that he had lived in for sixteen years. He had celebrated numerous birthdays in this house, holidays, losses, and gains, all in this house! He couldn't believe that he was being kicked out. Was there anywhere to go? What would he tell Casey?_

At this moment, Casey walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. She noticed him holding the photograph in his hands. He looked sad and reminiscent. She could tell that the picture in his hands was not of him, or anyone else he knew, besides Casey. Why would he be holding this picture in particular?

She went to her bedroom, opened her closet, and threw on the first articles of clothing that she saw. She looked in the mirror, satisfied with her outfit, and walked back into the living room.

Casey sat down on the couch next to him and leaned over, trying to figure out which photo it was. It was one with her and a boy. It was snowing lightly out, and they had skates on. They were both smiling, Casey's head resting on his shoulder. It was a picture-perfect photo.

'Who is this?' Derek asked, almost nervously.

'My friend, Zach.' Casey said, smiling slightly. He had been one of the first people she had met when she came to the University. They had clicked almost immediately.

'Did you ever date him?' Derek asked, after a few moments of silence.

'We tried dating for a bit, but it got weird for the both of us. But he's one of my best friends. He has another girlfriend now.' She explained, feeling the need to add the last bit in.

Derek was relieved to hear this. For some reason, hearing stories of Casey and various her boyfriends bugged him. More than it should, even. He decided that it was out of brotherly love that he didn't like most of her boyfriends. But deep down, he knew the real reason.

He looked over at Casey, and saw she was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, which said 'U of T' on the front. Her hair was still wet, and curling gently. She had no make-up on, yet she looked absolutely radiant. This was exactly why he loved her.

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'I had a good day.' Casey said. They had spent the day fooling around with the camera. They had gone walking around Toronto, stopping to go shopping at the Eaton's center, which was more for Casey than Derek. They had even stopped at a hot-dog stand.

'Me too. So I'll see you tomorrow?' Derek asked, walking up to Casey's apartment

'Not so early, eh?' she said, grinning at him. Although she had enjoyed being woken up by Derek, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

'We'll see.' Derek smirked. Her hair was blowing softly in the wind, and Derek had to stuff his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and touching it. It looked perfect from where he was standing. The street-lamp was casting a slight shadow on the street.

Casey leaned over to him, and kissed his cheek. 'Bye Derek.' His cheek felt tingly from her touch.

She walked up the stairs, and Derek watched her go. He sighed, realizing that he would never get the chance to tell her exactly how he felt.

**Okay, so for this story, George is an alcoholic. Obviously, in the real thing, he isn't, but it makes more sense. In case you were wondering. Keep reviewing!**


	6. The Hockey Game

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the show . Or anything. Or anyone.**

**Okay, this chapter might seem a little random, but it all ties in. **

The next day, Casey was sitting in her usual seat, although Derek hadn't shown up yet. She really had had a good time the day before. A few years have done a lot for Derek. And it was a good change.

'Hey.' Derek greeted her, slipping into the seat next to hers.

'Hi. How goes it?' she asked, smiling at him.

'I had a really good time yesterday. I don't know if I had another chance to tell you.'

'You did? Me too. We should film like that again. Maybe even bring out the camera.' She joked. Come to think of it, we had only brought it out once, we had someone take a picture of the two of us next to a statue, but that had been about it.

'Listen, Sam and I have hockey game tonight, and Sam invited Emily, so I was wondering if you wanted to go?' he asked. This was the first time he had invited Casey. She wondered why the sudden change of heart.

'Yeah, I'll go.' She agreed. This would be fun.

'Great. I'll pick you up at five, okay?'

'Sounds perfect.' Casey said. She couldn't remember a single time that she had seen Derek play hockey. Not even street hockey.

And from that moment on, Derek looked really, really happy. She couldn't help but notice the small things, such as the way his hair looked, barely brushed, but still perfect. Or the way his t-shirt accentuated his perfect body. Or the way his eyes lit up his face when he smiled.

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'Ten minutes, team!' the coach yelled, getting everyone's attention.

'I should go and sit down.' Casey said, shivering slightly.

'Are you cold? Here, take this.' Derek said, shrugging off his prized leather jacket and slipping it around Casey's shoulders.

'Thanks, Derek.' Casey said, immediately feeling warmer. 'And good luck.'

'Thanks.' Derek stepped forward, closing the gap between them, and hugging her. Casey was caught by surprise, but relaxed into the hug, wrapping her arms around his waist. Somehow, they fit perfectly in this hug, as if it was meant to be. Casey could smell his cologne, and inhaled deeply.

Derek seemed to realize what he was doing, and let go of his step-sister.

'So I'll see you after the game.' He said, before opening the door to the dressing room.

Casey stared at the door, and realized that she loved her step-brother. She loved him like she had never loved before. And only to realize that she could never fully have him.

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The puck was sent flying, as the players scrambled around to get it. If anyone else would have been to try that, it would have looked awkward and clumsy, but Derek looked so graceful, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be doing.

Casey looked over at Emily, who was staring at her boyfriend with loving eyes. She was glad to see Emily so happy, and she knew that Sam was the right guy for her. Casey turned around again, and continued staring at Derek, who was in possession of the puck. Derek was number thirteen, and Sam was number nine.

'He's really good.' Emily said to Casey, her eyes not leaving the ice.

Casey nodded. It was true.

'He's so funny.'

'Yeah.'

'He's really thoughtful.'

'Yeah.'

'Really sweet.'

'Yeah.'

'And so gorgeous.'

'I know.'

Emily stopped dead and looked Casey straight in the eyes.

'What?' she asked, 'What's wrong?' while realizing what she had just said.

Emily looked pained as she said, 'Do you have a thing for Sam?'

'Wh-what? No. I was thinking of…someone else.' She lied through her teeth. She didn't have a thing for Sam, she was thinking of Derek, although she wouldn't tell anyone that piece of information.

Emily looked relieved, but not convinced. 'Someone else, eh? Does he happen to be number thirteen?'

Casey sighed. There was no use denying it. 'Maybe.'

'I knew it! You two are perfect for each other! Sam and I were tal-' she stopped abruptly.

'Talking about what? Did you have bets on us or something?' Casey asked, slightly miffed that her best friend would do something like that.

'Something like that.' Emily admitted, blushing slightly.

'Great. My best friend is making bets on my love life. How much do you have going?'

'Five bucks.'

'That's all I'm worth? Five bucks? Great, thanks Emily.' Casey said, smirking. At least she wasn't the only person to see that she and Derek were perfect for each other.

Just then, Derek shot the puck through the opposing team's net, winning the game! Casey and Emily stood up and cheered, both proud of their players. The team was all crowded around Derek, when a member of the other team came up and approached Derek. He skated over where they could talk in private, when the other person pulled back his fist, and punched Derek in the face. Derek fell to the ice as the other player skated away before anyone could see what had happened. Derek picked himself off of the ice, and skated away, clutching his face.

They made their way down the seats, over to the dressing room. Outside the door, there were a few girls, which Casey assumed were loving girlfriends of the players. One by one, the hockey stars made their ways out of the crowded dressing room, meeting their girls with a hug.

Casey sighed. Watching those loving couples tore at her heart. She needed Derek, more than she ever knew.

Suddenly, Sam and Derek came out of the dressing room, hair damp from the showers. Sam walked over to Emily and embraced her tightly. Derek smiled at her, and she sauntered over, holding out her arms. Derek met this with his own arms. Casey couldn't help but notice how his arms held her gripped her like a cape, protecting her from everything and anything.

'Derek, your eye! Are you okay?' Casey said, with concern. His eye was swollen and bruised.

'I'll live, Casey. I've seen worse.' Derek reassured her. It looked worse than it actually was. The worst incident on the ice was when he broke his arm. This seemed like nothing, compared to broken bones.

'But that was amazing! I didn't know you could play like that!' Casey said, looking up at him.

'You've never seen me play?' Derek asked, perplexed. He had been sure that she had seen him play. But knowing this gave him a sense of accomplishment, being able so show her something that he was passionate about.

'No! I wasn't really interested in hockey.'

'What do you mean, 'wasn't'?' Derek asked, curiously.

'I've seen a few games since you left.' Casey admitted, blushing slightly.

'No kidding. You, Casey McDonald, at a hockey game.' Derek exclaimed, trying to picture it.

'Don't question it.' Casey said, laughing, as she leaned up, and kissed Derek lightly on the lips.

Derek smiled, as they walked out of the hockey arena, his arm draped around her shoulders.


	7. La Note Du Auteur

Mmkay

Mmkay. So here's how it's going down. I've realized that this story isn't going quite how I had planned, so I'm gonna do some emergency surgery, to ensure maximum quality Life With Derek entertainment. I'm gonna replace the chapters, one at a time. So as long as y'all know, and you aren't confused when new chapters come up, yet it's only like, chapter 3.

Any questions or ideas, just shout 'em!

-Kayla.


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